In this conversation, FMEP non-resident Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Seth Ackerman (Jacobin Magazine) about the latter's recent article on a speech by Rahm Emanuel (former White House Chief of Staff to President Obama), and what it might say about current political thinking in the the Democratic Party. They also discuss what opportunities exist in the U.S. to exert pressure on Israel and pursue accountable. For resources and biographies, please visit: https://fmep.org/resource/reeling-israel-in-a-conversation-with-seth-ackerman/ Original music by Jalal Yacoub

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Abed Abou Shhadeh, a community organizer based in Jaffa who served as a City Council representative of the Palestinian community in Jaffa-Tel Aviv from 2018 to 2024. The discussion centered on an essay Abed published June 18, 2026 at +972 Magazine: The Palestine movement must seek power over purity - https://www.972mag.com/palestine-bds-power-purity/

In this episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast, FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with Anan Quzmar, a Palestinian researcher focused on the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists and the broader destruction of Gaza's documentation ecosystem; and  Zo Brown (an alias), the founder of Databases for Palestine about Israel's assault on Palestinian journalism – starting even before 10/7/23 – and the failures of international organizations ostensibly devoted to defend journalists, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). You can follow the work of Databases for Palestine on X at @databases4pal, and Anan at @QuzmarAnan. See the show notes on FMEP's website for resources related to this podcast -- https://fmep.org/resource/the-betrayal-of-gazas-journalists/.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor does a deep-dive with award-winning foreign affairs journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed into the backstory of and some key themes in his new (and eagerly awaited) book: Crossing the Red Line (release date: 9/22/26; available now for pre-order - https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324118190).

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy, the co-founders of TrackAIPAC, a campaign to that, in its own words, seeks to "reveal and counter the influence of AIPAC and the Israel lobby by systematically documenting their financial contributions to our federal officials." They discuss how the campaign came about, how it has developed, and the criticisms they've received for its work. They also discuss the role of dark money in politics more generally. Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy are the co-founders of TrackAIPAC.  Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza and a Fellow at FMEP.  You can follow Ahmed on Substack at: https://ahmedmoor.substack.com and on X at @AhmedMoor. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Naji Abbas, Director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel, about the Israeli army's policies and practices of kidnapping and disappearing Palestinians into detention, where torture is rampant. Among the 5000 Palestinians detained without charge are 14 senior Palestinian doctors from Gaza, including Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, whose condition has deteriorated. Following his most recent visit to Dr. Abu Safiya, attorney Nasser Odeh reported "tangible and immediate danger" to Dr. Abu Safiya's life due to a "dramatic escalation in the assaults and torture" inflicted by Israeli prison guards against Dr. Abu Safiya. Ahmed and Naji place the detention of Gaza's doctors within the logic of genocide, as it is part of the dismantling of the healthcare services people need to live.  Resources from Physicians for Human Rights Israel: "Physicians for Human Rights Israel Warns of Imminent Danger to Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya's Life": https://www.phr.org.il/en/imminent-danger-to-dr-hussam-abu-safiyas-life/ Physicians for Human Rights Israel's podcast, Diagnosing the Barriers: https://open.spotify.com/show/0uwVBdUIerZZpdRY5pIygT See especially their newest episode, "Gaza Needs its Doctors -- Release the 14," featuring PHRI's Maha Loulou and Lee Caspi: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1FINJyQYJlPO97shWJNOhQ Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya to his lawyer: “This is the last time you will see me… They brought me here to kill me" "Torture of Medical Staff from Gaza in Israel • Report and Testimonies" See also B'Tselem's report "Living Hell: the Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps" Naji Abbas is Director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Follow PHRI Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza and a Fellow at FMEP.  You can follow Ahmed on Substack at: https://ahmedmoor.substack.com and on X at @AhmedMoor. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Eid Suleiman, a resident of the village of Umm al Khair in Masafer Yatta in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Andrey X, a journalist and solidarity activist who is an Israeli citizen. They discuss settlers attacks and expansionism, who the so-called Hilltop Youth are, and the fact that the settler apparatus for dispossessing Palestinian people and confiscating their land operates as Israeli state policy. They also discuss Palestinian efforts to sustain their families and communities, the solidarity activists who offer support, and the concrete differences in how Palestinians and non-Palestinian solidarity activists are treated by the Israeli army and Israeli police.  Eid Suleman is a human rights activist and member of the Umm al Khair community in the Israeli-occupied southern West Bank. Andrey X is a journalist and solidarity activist. You can follow him in these places: https://www.instagram.com/the.andrey.x/ or https://x.com/the_andrey_x. Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza and a Fellow at FMEP.  You can follow Ahmed on Substack at: https://ahmedmoor.substack.com and on X at @AhmedMoor. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Yuli Novak, executive director of the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem. Their conversation covers a wide range of topics as Yuli addresses why it matters to understand the Israeli system from the inside. They discuss how Israelis were mobilized so quickly into supporting and committing genocide; the meaning and impact of the Zionist movement producing the Israeli apartheid state; and the expectation that Israeli violence and repression will continue to increase. Yuli states her belief that positive change is not coming soon, but the Israeli Jewish population has both the responsibility and ability to act to dismantle the paradigms of Jewish supremacy and militarism and work for both justice and equality. Yuli Novak is the Executive Director of B’Tselem. From 2012-2017, she was Executive Director of Breaking the Silence. In 2022, she published (in Hebrew) the memoir Who Do You Think You Are?, which will be published in English in 2026. Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza and a Fellow at FMEP. He is an advisory board member of the US Campaign for Palestinian rights, co-editor of After Zionism (Saqi Books) and is currently writing a book about Palestine. He also currently serves on the board of the Independence Media Foundation. His work has been published in The Guardian, The London Review of Books, The Nation, and elsewhere. He earned a BA at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPP at Harvard University. You can follow Ahmed on Substack at: https://ahmedmoor.substack.com and on X at @AhmedMoor. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

The Quincy Institute and Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) co-hosted this webinar that examined how the war on Iran — which was conducted by the Americans and Israelis with an unprecedented degree of coordination — may accelerate the divergence of American and Israeli policy conduct in the Middle East. As the costs continue to accumulate for the Americans, and the Israelis continue to dig in, the question of whether a policy break which corresponds to each state’s different interests has gained new importance. And if that break ultimately develops, how will the process of extricating Israeli policy-making from Washington unfold? This webinar/podcast features Trita Parsi (Quincy Institute), Barbara Slavin (Stimson Center), Lara Friedman (FMEP), and was moderated by FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor.  Trita Parsi is co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute. He is an award-winning author and the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has authored four books on US foreign policy in the Middle East. Barbara Slavin is a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center and a lecturer in international affairs at GWU. Prior to joining Stimson, she founded and directed the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council and led a bi-partisan task force on Iran. She is the author of Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the US and the Twisted Path to Confrontation (2007) Lara Friedman is the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Previously, she was the Director of Policy and Government Relations at Americans for Peace Now, and before that she was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, serving in Jerusalem, Washington, Tunis, and Beirut. Lara is a leading authority on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.  Ahmed Moor is a writer and fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He is an advisory board member of the US Campaign for Palestinian rights, co-editor of “After Zionism: One State for Israel and Palestine” (2012, Saqi Books) and is currently writing a book about Palestine. He also currently serves on the board of the Independence Media Foundation. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Professor Dana El Kurd (University of Richmond) and Professor Nader Hashemi (Georgetown University) about how the current war increases Iran’s “soft power," why Saudi Arabia and the UAE are reacting differently to Iran and Israel, and why American hegemony remains in the Middle East.  ​​Dana El Kurd is an associate professor at the University of Richmond in the Department of Political Science, and a senior nonresident fellow at the Arab Center Washington. Nader Hashemi is the Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, an Associate Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and a non-resident fellow at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). Peter Beinart is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He is also a Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York, a Contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, an Editor-at-Large at Jewish Currents, and an MSNOW Political Commentator. His newest book (published 2025) is Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning. He publishes regularly on https://peterbeinart.substack.com/. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Army major and executive officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Middle East/Africa Regional Center who resigned from the Biden Administration in protest of his office's support for Israel's war in Gaza. Ahmed and Harrison discuss the seeming impunity of the elite making policy decisions and recommendations and the effort by senior Biden Administration officials to position themselves for power in the next administration. They also talk about the possibilities and realities of accountability for war crimes in Palestine. See also Harrison Mann's recent Zeteo article, "Biden’s Genocide Squad Must Be Stopped Before They Strike Again" and his August 2024 interview with FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart about Harrison's decision to resign and why government officials continue to implement policies they consider immoral. Harrison Mann is a former U.S. Army major and executive officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency's Middle East/Africa Regional Center who resigned in protest at his office's support for Israel's war in Gaza. He is currently with the group Win Without War and is a contributor at Zeteo. Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza and a Fellow at FMEP. He is an advisory board member of the US Campaign for Palestinian rights, co-editor of After Zionism (Saqi Books) and is currently writing a book about Palestine. He also currently serves on the board of the Independence Media Foundation. His work has been published in The Guardian, The London Review of Books, The Nation, and elsewhere. He earned a BA at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPP at Harvard University. You can follow Ahmed on Substack at: https://ahmedmoor.substack.com and on X at @AhmedMoor. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.